Thursday, October 31, 2019

Restaurant chain
year over year customer counts continue to decline according to all reports including
traditional restaurant trade
magazines which do not to report bad news about the industry they cover and
seek advertising for.

Battle for Share of Stomach

Bob Goldin, a Pentallect stated,
“nontraditional channels represent a ‘sweet spot’ in the food and beverage
industry. Their growth is based upon strong consumer appeal and generally
favorable business models.” Pentallect President Rob Veidenheimer observed that
“each of the channels has unique consumer appeal and continues to evolve at a
very rapid rate. We have studied these channels closely over the past several
years and see them as significant share gainers for the foreseeable future.”

While others talk about Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat
and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food, Foodservice Solutions®
Grocerant ScoreCards were the first to identify, quantify, and qualify the
niche, the success and the unique was in which your brand can successfully ‘Look
A Customer Ahead’.Success does leave
clues stop capitulating year over year customer counts.

Invite Foodservice
Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or
for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant
Guru®.Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.usof Tacoma, WA has been the
global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Regular readers of this bog know that Steven Johnson,
Tacoma, WA based Grocerant Guru® for Foodservice
Solutions® thinks
have any delivery person enter your home and delivery groceries is not at good
idea when you are not at home. However,
there are those of you out there willing to give it a try.

So, when Walmart employees can now deliver products
directly into the customer's kitchen or garage using smart technology that will
livestream the delivery. Is it a solution waiting for a problem or a time
saving solution?

Launched in Kansas City, Pittsburgh
and Vero Beach, Florida, Walmart said that more than 1 million shoppers will be
able to use the new delivery option, which has Walmart employees select produce
and other household items ordered by a customer online. They then deliver the
items right into the shopper’s kitchen or garage using smart technology that
gives them a one-time code to enter.

So, the homeowner will be able to watch the
delivery through their smartphone. The Walmart employee wears a camera that
will livestream the delivery. If the camera doesn’t turn on, the door won’t
unlock.

Bart Stein, Walmart’s senior vice
president for membership and InHome stated “We’re obsessed with simplifying
grocery shopping and finding ways to make our customers’ lives easier,” “That’s
why InHome goes the extra step so that our customers can live their lives
without worrying about making it to the store or being home to accept a
delivery.” What do you think? Do you trust technology enough to allow someone
into your home?

How does it work?Well with a Subscription to the InHome
delivery service; which will cost $19.95 a month, with the first month free. Shoppers
must spend at least $30 on the order. The smart lock costs $49.95, with
free installation.

Stein said InHome is a natural complement
to Walmart’s existing suite of grocery options, including its recently
expanded Delivery
Unlimited membership. “We’re looking forward to
building on our already exceptional service in these markets through
InHome Delivery and bringing this offering to even more customers
in the months to come,” said Stein. In case you were wondering Johnson said he
is simply not ready for this yet, which surprised everyone as he tries everything
at least once.

Foodservice
Solutions® team is here to help you drive top line sales and bottom-line
profits. Are you looking a customer ahead?
Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information
or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success
does leave clues and we just may the clue you need to propel your continued
success.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Many regular readers of this blog have
visited Hawaii and know Minit Stop stores
for its famous Fried Chicken or ‘spam Musubi’.What you may not know it that they are removing beef from its menu and
replacing it with the plant-based Impossible Burger.

Foodservice Solutions®Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson says
that while they may be the first C-store to make this move they will not be the
last and watch for a ‘fast food’ chain to do it as well. Minit Stop made the
move based on consumer demand and the burger brand's track record.

So, the removal of all cow-based beef
from Mini Stop's menu serves as a rallying cry for other restaurants to do the
same, highlighting the importance of making more sustainable decisions without
compromising on taste, the company said. Mini Stop embraces the concept of
"pono" — to do what is right for both people and the planet.

Minit Stop Vice President Jon Miyabuchi stated
"We're seeing more and more residents and visitors opt for
Impossible,"… "Impossible's plant-based burger acts, smells, and
tastes like beef. So much so, that we can add our own local flavor profile to
it. We included ingredients from some of Hawaii's favorite traditional recipes
and created a winning combination unique to Minit Stop.”

Miyabuchi continued "Our customers
have been asking for the Impossible
Burger by name almost since it debuted in 2016. We're thrilled to give
consumers exactly what they want, exactly what our planet needs, and with a
local flavor profile twist,".

You should know that restaurants in
Hawaii are among the nation's highest volume outlets for Impossible Burger
sales, with some restaurants selling more than 100 plant-based patties per day
according to Mini Stop, which stated that it expects unprecedented sales volume
of the Impossible Burger. The retailer expects to serve up to 6,875 pounds of
Impossible meat per month and up to 82,500 pounds for the first year.

The new menu features nine different
Impossible meal combinations, ranging from $7.49 to $12.99, including:

·Impossible Sandwiches in regular and Teri
burger flavors (debuting later this year)

Of note: Minit Stop is the first c-store
chain to fully replace traditional burger meat with plant-based meat. How is
your brand standing out?Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales?
Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look
more like yesterday that tomorrow? Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may
have the clue you need to propel your continued success.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Success does leave clues and global
brands have a distinct advantage in food marketing simply because they have
more marketing professionals around the world exposed to more and more good
ideas according to Steven Johnson,
Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice
Solutions®

So, here is one example; have you ever
heard of the Stevenage Football Club?
Probably not—they play in the English soccer fourth division. But the Burger King brand has heard of them. In fact,
the brand sponsors the soccer club and is launching the “Stevenage Challenge,”
a series of challenges for soccer fans that, if completed, will reward
participants with menu favorites like the Whopper sandwich, Chicken
Sandwich, and Chicken Fries for free only through Uber Eats.

The goal? To turn possibly the smallest
team in the real world into the biggest club in the online gaming world. Now
that is a big goal.It is also filled
with consumer relevance and consumer facing touchpoints according to Johnson.
All the more reason that Johnson said Burger King just might meet their goal!

The challenges range from simply scoring
a goal to the nearly impossible, scoring from a corner kick. All with the new
Burger King sponsored Stevenage F.C. shirt on. Soccer and Burger King fans
alike can complete the set of challenges listed at www.stevenagechallenge.com.
All they have to do is share footage on Twitter of their great soccer feats,
and in return they’ll get a free menu item, while delivery code supplies last.

Whether fans take on the “A Nutmeg for
Nuggets” or “Impossible for Impossible Whopper” challenge, some have proven to
be difficult, forcing fans to find other, more creative ways to complete them.

Fernando Machado, Global CMO of the
Burger King brand, stated “It’s almost 2020 and the Internet community is still
surprising me,”.When Machado found out
fans have already been sharing their new Stevenage Kit online. "The
“Stevenage Challenge” is here to welcome everyone, because thanks to
technology, this could be everyone’s team too,” adds Machado.

The team at Foodservice Solutions®
wants to congratulate Machado and his team for expanding its partnership with Uber
Eats while expanding its brand invitation. Soccer continues to be the fastest
growing sport in the world, combine that with BK fresh food and Uber Eats and
you have marketing interactive participatory success with happy customers.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Back in the day Steven Johnson, Grocerant
Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® was under contract with cyberslice / cybermeals
/ food.com and as
industry veterans and regular readers of this blog know he placed /sold the
first 7 national restaurant chains with online ordering.

That was when Johnson the touting the benefits
of moving your restaurant business model from selling traditional restaurant meals
and filling seats with butts to selling more grocerant niche fresh prepared meals
for takeout and delivery. In 1998 the restaurant to go meals were hovering nationally
at 2.1%.

Consumers were on the move and out Grocerant
Guru® was the first to identify, quantify, and qualify that
movement.Today, the consumers is more
dynamic than ever and according to new survey results from the National Restaurant Association “Off-premise
orders continue to nibble into overall restaurant sales with those transactions
now making up nearly 60% of foodservice occasions.”

Hudson Riehle, the NRA’s senior vice
president for research and knowledge mimicking Johnson’s on going insights
states “We are seeing the industry change and adapt faster than ever before in
response to the macro-environmental factors driving consumer behavior,”

Now, Riehle has expanded his view fresh
meal to include “The off-premise percentage also includes freshly prepared
items taken off-premise at grocery and convenience stores”(aka meals and meal components that are
portable are GROCERANT NICHE MEALS). We defined things that way back in 1998
but its great to have the NRA on board with the “Battle for Share of Stomach”.Let’s see what else they found:

·92% of consumers used drive-thru at least
once a month.

·34% of consumers used delivery more often
than a year ago.

·79% of consumers used restaurant delivery
at least once a month, and 53% of consumers used a third-party delivery
provider.

·78% of restaurant operators considered
off-premises programs a strategic priority.

·74% of companies were investing in
off-premises programs but none of the Top 5 investments include customer-facing
technology.

·For takeout, 52% of operators said they
had remodeled their facility to add off-premise services, including in-store
kiosks, to-go counters or other similar features.

·66% of operators offered delivery through
a third-party service and 55% offered delivery through internal staff.

·22% of consumers used kiosk ordering last
year, and 11% used voice-assisted ordering.

·69% of consumers would use vehicles, if
available, with built-in heating trays to keep food warm and 41% would use
autonomous delivery.

·44% of restaurant operators who offered
voice ordering, and 50% who offered location intelligence to target new
customers based on their position, said it had a positive impact on their
business.

Do you want to
know just what we are seeing
today? Do you want to Look A Customer Ahead?

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Retail growth can become stalled, costly, and time consuming when you get
into quagmire of construction problems.With cost of customer acquisition top of mind Dutch Bros. Coffee decided that a new
partnership with RJ Russo could drive new
eletricity into its brand and growth.

Our Grocerant Guru®,
Steven Johnson believes that “Consumers are dynamic not static”. So, how is
your brand keeping up with consumer demand for fresh fast food? How are you
driving new electricity into your brand? What is the time line and cost of your
new outlet openings?

All food and beverage retailers survive
the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence
revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that
are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different. Does your retail path forward look more
like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?

Recently, RJ Russo formed a strategic
alliance and partnership under contract with Dutch Bros. Coffee to advance the
modular designs and placements of factory-built building units in lieu of
traditional construction. The collaboration features Dutch Bros. Coffee,
RJ Russo as well as Luna Design and
Construction. RJ Russo is able to create the vision of a factory-built building
that fulfills the design aesthetic of Dutch Bros. Coffee, as well as the
expansion goals of the Dutch Bros. Coffee brand.

So, RJ Russo constructs factory-built
buildings and modular components out of steel and sustainable products. This
provides for more environmentally-friendly structures. Wood and other
deteriorating products are eliminated in order to maximize life span of the
units and hold up to harsh interior and exterior environments.

RJ Russo is set to donate to $1,000 to
each community for every building manufactured and delivered. An
interesting addition to the matchup includes an incentive to give back to the
local communities where these factory-built coffee shops will be located.
RJ Russo is aligned with Dutch Bros. Coffee in supporting the local communities
we serve.

"We wanted to give back to the
community as a way to say thank you for the great opportunity to partner with
Dutch Bros. Coffee,” Donn Kaebisch, RJ Russo Business Development Manager, says

Are
you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh
ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that
tomorrow? Visit www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information
or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success
does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your
continued success.

Friday, October 25, 2019

One success clue that convenience stores
have picked-up on is that fresh food sells. Companies the ilk of Wawa, Rutter’s,
and Sheetz have been leading the industry
with top line growth and bottom line profits driven in large part from customer
migration to their fresh food according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Global
Partners LP, and its extensive real estate and has found success with Alltown
Fresh, which has the potential to grow into a truly convenient and healthy
convenience store.

In case you did not know, Global Partners
is a Fortune 500 energy company with about 1,600 locations worldwide. Alltown
Fresh is a healthy spinoff of Alltown, the company’s traditional fuel and
convenience store with nearly 300 locations. While Alltown Fresh has just a
handful of stores open in New England today, it has the potential to outnumber
others competing in the better-for-you convenience store space.

Alltown Fresh’s SVP of retail operations
Ryan Riggs sated “One of the key assets that our parent company has is real
estate,” Riggs continued “One of our goals as we grow is to better understand
where the Alltown Fresh brand has the greatest likelihood to resonate in areas
where we already have a foothold on traffic,” .. “where we already have
guests that come in daily.” The plan is once they've discovered the right
location, they can convert established locations into Alltown Fresh stores.

The Alltown Fresh experience is a
“heightened” one compared to traditional convenience stores, Riggs said. There
is fuel and basic provisions, but there’s a lot more, too. Through a
combination of packaged goods, a mini fresh food market and an extensive
foodservice area, Alltown Fresh focuses on specific segments of the
population.

Battle for Share of Stomach

“Our target is the technology-savvy
health-conscious Millennial,” he said. “That generation is a little less
stigmatized [regarding] shopping for foodservice where they purchase fuel,
relative to other generations. Trends tell us they’re more focused on being
health-conscious, certainly. And then I would say the other target is really
families.”

At Alltown Fresh locations, customers can
buy kimchi bowls, avocado toast and freshly made sandwiches or smoothies. Many
menu items from their full kitchen are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or
locally sourced. There’s cafe space to sit and enjoy breakfast, lunch and
dinner in these locations, which are larger than most convenience stores. The
Plymouth, Mass., location, for example, is 4,800 square feet. The stores
straddle the line between restaurant, convenience store and grocery store with
dedicated space for fresh produce and an array of packaged goods with both
traditional and healthier versions of typical convenience store fare. Do you
know where your consumers are headed?Are you looking a customer
ahead?

Invite Foodservice
Solutions® to complete a Grocerant Program Assessment, Grocerant ScoreCard, or
for product positioning or placement assistance, or call our Grocerant
Guru®.Since 1991 www.FoodserviceSolutions.usof Tacoma, WA has been the
global leader in the Grocerant niche. Contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or 253-759-7869

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Time is money,
and as regular reader of this blog know the number one overall grip about
shopping for groceries is how long it takes.
You all know grocery industry icon Bill
Bishop who told us that back in the day. According to Steven Johnson, Grocerant
Guru® at
Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® Bill was right then
and he is right about it today.

OK, someone is listening it is Ahold
Delhaize USA who plans to expand SCAN IT! That will speed the whole shopping
expierence while adding relevance about how to shop for Millennials according
to Johnson.

Ahold announced that the proprietary
solution, which customers use by downloading their supermarket banner’s SCAN
IT! Android or iOS app, is currently offered at select Stop & Shop stores
and Giant Food Stores’ Giant Heirloom Market locations will speed up and
enhance your shopping expierence.

Consumers with SCAN IT! Mobile, can scan
product barcodes with their smartphone as they shop and put the items in their
cart or bag. The app keeps a running tally of the groceries scanned. When done
shopping, customers exit the store via a designated checkout lane, see a “payment
approved” message appear while walking through and are charged for purchases.

Yes, SCAN IT! Mobile also incorporates a
digital wallet that customers set up beforehand with their preferred payment
method. Besides credit or debit cards, shoppers can pay via such
platforms as PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay and Google Pay, which are integrated
into the wallet.

Don’t have the app, not to worry, customers,
too, can opt to use handheld scanners available at the front of the store for
ringing up groceries while shopping. After scanning their items, shoppers then
transfer the session to the SCAN IT! Mobile app on their smartphone and then
proceed with payment by exiting the store through the designated checkout lane.

The fact is frictionless checkout brings
convenience and technology together to meet the needs of our busy customers,”
commented John Ponnett, senior vice president of retail operations at Giant
Food Stores. “We’ve offered handheld scanning devices for several years, and as
customer usage continues to increase, the next step was to align that offering
with payment options, saving our customers even more time.” Are you adding
customer relevance too speed-up service at your outlet?

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Success does leave clues and partnerships expand your customer
base, extend your brand messaging, engage your customers with relevance in a
non-traditional channel according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based
Foodservice Solutions. Johnson continued
saying “partnerships can drive new electricity into your brand messaging with
they are both interactive and participatory.”

Starting last week, consumer who buy Taco Bell’s Double Chalupa Box have the
chance to win an Xbox One X Eclipse Limited
Edition Bundle every 10 minutes on average. The bundle gives consumers
everything they need to become the ultimate gamer: an Xbox One X Eclipse
Limited Edition console with Taco Bell’s iconic ring at startup, the brand-new
Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, and a six-month Game Pass Ultimate
membership. Now, gamers of any age have to like that.

Here is how it works: Winners will get
their Xbox One X Eclipse Limited Edition Bundle on their doorstep in as early
as 48 hours after completing registration and receipt of verification, Taco
Bell and Xbox’s fastest delivery time yet in the history of this campaign. With
six months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, fans will get all the benefits of Xbox
Live Gold, including online multiplayer and access to more than 100
high-quality games on console and PC, exclusive member deals and discounts and
more as soon as they turn on their console and hear Taco Bell’s iconic ring.

The bundle also equips fans with the Xbox
Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, so you can play like a pro with the world’s
most advanced controller. For a chance to win the bundle, all fans need to do
is enjoy a Double Chalupa Box from Taco Bell and follow the instructions on the
box or the instructions received through the free method of entry process for
entering in the code, with a bundle awarded on average every 10 minutes.

“Taco Bell and Xbox have continued to
raise the bar through our partnership, and this year we’re excited to give fans
even more ways to become a winner,” says Tracee Larocca, Senior Vice President
of Brand Experience at Taco Bell. “Whether fans are unboxing their Double
Chalupa boxes or the new Xbox One X Eclipse Bundle, this is yet another
opportunity for us to give them a one of a kind experience.”

The Double Chalupa is available in a box
served with guests’ choice of a Double Chalupa or Spicy Double Chalupa, a
Crunchy Taco, Cinnamon Twists and a Medium soda.

In case you are gamming and to busy to go
to Taco Bell, A separate and exciting offer is also available to fans who order
the Double Chalupa box online at ta.co or
through the Taco Bell app for in-store pickup at a participating Taco Bell
restaurant by 11/23/19, who will receive via email, following verification,
instructions to register and submit a code by 11/24/19 for, a 2-week Xbox Game
Pass Ultimate membership while supplies last. Fans can redeem a maximum of two
2-week Xbox Game Pass Ultimate codes at microsoft.com/redeem by
4/30/20, making even more fans winners this year. Any existing Gold/Game Pass
membership(s) will upgrade to Ultimate at a conversion ratio. See xbox.com/gamepass for
details. Online offer void where prohibited.

Taco Bell and Xbox have been teaming up
since 2001 when they launched the original Xbox. In 2017, they launched the
newest Xbox One X together and last year brought fans an Xbox One X Platinum
Limited Edition Bundle. Consumers are dynamic not static how is your brand
keeping up with consumer demand for fresh fast food? How are you driving new
electricity into your brand?

All food and beverage retailers to
survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence
revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food and beverages that
are portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different. Does your retail path forward look more
like yesterday than tomorrow? Why?